Engineering Marvels
The Golden Gate Bridge was completed in 1937 to connect San Francisco to Marin County. Before it was built, the only way to travel across the strait was by ferry. The bridge was painted "International Orange" so that it would be easy for ships to see in the thick California fog.
Question: Why was the bridge painted "International Orange"?
So it would be visible to ships in the fog.
The Platypus is a very confusing animal found in Australia. Even though it is a mammal, it lays eggs like a bird and has a bill like a duck. Scientists were so shocked when they first saw it that they thought it was a prank.
Question: What makes the platypus different from most other mammals?
It lays eggs.
Stonehenge is a circle of massive standing stones located in England. Archaeologists believe it was built over 4,000 years ago, but they still aren't sure exactly how the heavy stones were moved. Some people think it was used as an ancient calendar to track the sun.
Question: When do experts believe Stonehenge was constructed?
Over 4,000 years ago.
In 1989, a scientist named Tim Berners-Lee created the World Wide Web. He wanted a way for researchers at different universities to share information more easily. His invention eventually turned into the internet that we use today.
Question: Who is credited with creating the World Wide Web?
Tim Berners-Lee.
The Nile River in Africa is generally considered the longest river on Earth. It flows north for over 4,000 miles before emptying into the Mediterranean Sea. Ancient civilizations relied on its yearly floods to grow food in the desert.
Question: What body of water does the Nile River flow into?
The Mediterranean Sea.
The Panama Canal is a 50-mile waterway that allows ships to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It uses a system of locks to lift ships up over the mountains and lower them back down. This shortcut saves ships from having to travel thousands of miles around South America.
Question: What system does the canal use to move ships over different water levels?
A system of locks.
Tardigrades, also known as "water bears," are microscopic animals that can survive in extreme conditions. They have been found in boiling hot springs, at the bottom of the deep ocean, and even in the vacuum of space. They survive by drying themselves out and waiting for better weather.
Question: Why are tardigrades often called "water bears"?
Because they are microscopic animals (or because of their appearance/movement).
The Terracotta Army is a collection of thousands of life-sized clay soldiers found in China. They were buried with the first Emperor of China to protect him in the afterlife. Every single soldier has a unique face, meaning no two statues are exactly the same.
Question: Why were the clay soldiers buried with the Emperor?
To protect him in the afterlife.
The first "smartphone" was actually released by IBM in 1994, long before the iPhone. It was called the Simon Personal Communicator and it had a touchscreen and a calendar. However, the battery only lasted about one hour, so it wasn't very popular.
Question: What was one major reason the first smartphone wasn't popular?
The battery only lasted one hour.
Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest. They reached the top of the world's highest peak on May 29, 1953. Because the air is so thin at that height, they had to use bottled oxygen to breathe.
Question: Who were the two men who first climbed to the top of Mount Everest?
Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.
In 1889, Gustave Eiffel finished building a giant iron tower for the World’s Fair in Paris. Many people at the time thought the tower was ugly and wanted it torn down. However, it was saved because it proved to be a perfect spot for radio antennas.
Question: Who was the designer of this famous Paris tower?
Gustave Eiffel.
In the deep rainforests, some mushrooms can actually glow in the dark. This is called bioluminescence, and it happens because of a chemical reaction inside the fungus. The light attracts insects, which then help spread the mushroom's spores to new areas.
Question: How/What (What causes the mushroom to glow)?
A chemical reaction (bioluminescence).
Machu Picchu is an ancient city built by the Inca Empire high in the Andes Mountains of Peru. It was abandoned shortly after it was built and remained "lost" to the outside world for hundreds of years. It was finally rediscovered by an explorer in 1911.
Question: Where did the Inca people build this famous city?
High in the Andes Mountains (or Peru).
GPS stands for Global Positioning System and it relies on 24 satellites orbiting the Earth. It was originally created by the U.S. military to help track planes and ships. In the year 2000, the government made the high-quality signal available for everyone to use.
Question: When did the U.S. government allow everyone to use the high-quality GPS signal?
In the year 2000.
The blue whale is so large that its heartbeat can be heard from over two miles away. This massive mammal can grow up to 100 feet long and weigh as much as 30 elephants. Even though they are huge, they eat tiny shrimp-like creatures called krill.
Question: What do blue whales eat to maintain their massive size?
Krill.
: The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is currently the tallest building in the world, standing at 2,717 feet. Construction began in 2004 and involved thousands of workers from over 100 countries. It is so tall that you can actually see the sunset twice from different floors.
Question: When did the construction of this record-breaking building begin?
In 2004.
Alexander Fleming was a scientist who accidentally discovered penicillin in 1928. He noticed that a certain type of mold was killing the bacteria in his lab dishes. This led to the creation of the world's first antibiotic medicine.
Question: Who was the scientist responsible for this medical discovery?
Alexander Fleming.
Hieroglyphics were the formal writing system used by the Ancient Egyptians. For a long time, no one could read them until the Rosetta Stone was found in 1799. This stone had the same message written in three languages, which allowed historians to finally crack the code.
Question: What discovery allowed historians to finally read Egyptian writing?
The Rosetta Stone.
: Ada Lovelace was a mathematician in the 1800s who is considered the world's first computer programmer. She wrote instructions for a giant mechanical machine that hadn't even been built yet. She realized that machines could do much more than just simple math.
Question: Why is Ada Lovelace famous in the history of technology?
She was the first computer programmer.
In 1960, two men descended to the deepest part of the ocean in a special submarine called the Trieste. They reached the bottom of the Challenger Deep, which is nearly 36,000 feet below the surface. They were surprised to find flatfish living even in such high pressure.
Question: When did the first humans reach the bottom of the Challenger Deep?
In 1960.
: Located in South Dakota, Mount Rushmore features the faces of four U.S. Presidents carved into a granite mountain. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum chose this specific location because the rock was sturdy and faced the sun most of the day. The project took 14 years to finish, ending in 1941.
Question: Where is this mountain monument located?
In South Dakota.
The Axolotl is a type of salamander that never grows up; it stays in its "baby" form its entire life. These creatures live in the lakes near Mexico City and are famous for being able to regrow lost limbs. If they lose a leg or even a part of their heart, they can heal themselves perfectly.
Question: Where do these unique salamanders live in the wild?
In lakes near Mexico City.
Howard Carter was a British archaeologist who spent years searching the Valley of the Kings. In 1922, he finally discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun, which was filled with gold and treasures. It was the most well-preserved royal tomb ever found in Egypt.
Question: Who was the man that discovered the tomb of King Tut?
Howard Carter.
Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that is home to many of the world's largest tech companies. It got its name because silicon is a material used to make the tiny chips inside computers. Today, it is the center of innovation for software and robotics.
Question: Where is the region known as Silicon Valley located?
In Northern California.
Death Valley holds the record for the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth at 134 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature was measured in July 1913 at a place called Furnace Creek. The valley stays hot because the surrounding mountains trap the warm air inside.
Question: Why does Death Valley stay so incredibly hot?
The mountains trap the warm air inside.